It turned out really well, the dried porcini and onions kind of makes a stock before you begin adding the water. I did use white wine, added baby spinach when it was almost done, and used a really good parmesan.

I worked in Italy about ten years ago and brought home maybe twenty packs of Knorr instant risotto and shamelessly served it to dinner guests (as my own) for the next year. I had to add only: water, fresh chopped parsley and parmigiano reggiano. Outstanding products: Porcini Mushroom, and White Truffle.

I've always assumed it added a layer of flavor in many dishes. When I read Michael Ruhlman's blog rant (saying everything tastes better if you use water instead of canned stock or broth) I started questioning whether to use it or not. This Bittman piece pushed me over the edge about risotto.